"File folders", referred to herein include file folders, portfolios, hanging folders, pocket folders, accordion folders, reinforced folders, report covers, etc. Such folders are a necessary tool in the modern office or business. These products are also often used in homes and schools. Typically, such folders are manufactured in a wide range of colors, and may include pictures or written matter.
It is often desirable or necessary for the purchaser to label such products to customize them for a particular use. Since these folders are typically unlined, such labelling tends to be messy or is placed inconsistently from file to file, cutting down on efficiency, especially in office or business use, where uniformity of labelling may be crucial.
Additionally, for all uses, strength and durability of the paper product, especially glued seams, is important. Longer lasting products need to be replaced less often, and therefore, save the user time and money.
The optimal gluing surface is uninked because such surfaces leave rough fibers which promote adhesion, especially to another uninked surface, with the glue ordinarily used for this purpose. Uninked folders, however, are generally not as aesthetically pleasing to most users as those with color or designs. The difficulty is that ink tends to flatten and smooth the paper fibers on a surface, making gluing more difficult and adhesion less strong, unless an expensive, especially formulated glue is used.
Thus, there is a need for decorative, inexpensively producible folders which have strong glue seams and a means for neat uniform labelling of the folders for use in the office and business community, as well as in schools and in the home.